MUSIC

Ben Reiser checks out the scene at Saturday night's Wilco show at Overture Hall. In addition to some thrilled fans, he runs into the band's bass player John Stirratt and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone. >More

Wilco, America's shiniest rock object, showed up for work Saturday night at 8:30 on the dot. High expectations among the sold-out Overture Hall crowd had soared even higher Friday with news that the group would live stream their Madison performance. Would the boys bring it even harder with world-wide screens blinking? The answer is yes. >More

Depending on your musical proclivities, the biggest thing to come out of Rockford, Ill. is either Cheap Trick or Marin Mazzie. Mazzie and her husband, Jason Danieley, have been dubbed "Broadway's golden couple" and have performed at the likes of Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl and London's West End. Yet for one night, Madisonians had them all to ourselves at the Wisconsin Union Theater. >More

The recent announcement that Madison institution Smart Studios is closing reverberated throughout the local music scene and triggered memories of the nondescript building at 1254 E. Washington Ave. A call for materials was issued by filmmaker and musician Wendy Schneider, who has started work on a documentary about the storied recording space. >More

Anna Wang spends a lot of time shrugging off the silly things that concern other people. "I can remember being in high school," she says, "and all my girlfriends were crying because their boobs weren't as big as other girls', and I would always be like, 'Can you stop talking now so I can go back to writing songs?'" >More

When you think about Madison's 1990s rock scene, one of the first acts that comes to mind is The Wizenhiemers. The group's career spanned the decade, and they played everywhere from local rooms like the Club de Wash to New York's CBGBs. They'll hit the stage for a reunion show this Saturday, Feb. 20, at the Bean. >More

If you're looking for a fun way to start your Valentine's Day weekend, you could do worse than Brazilian singer Luciana Souza's concert Friday night at the Wisconsin Union Theater, as part of the Isthmus Jazz Series. But the evening will cover a lot more than just romance. >More

Which style of music is best suited for Feb. 14? Last year, many locals made a valentine of the Alliant Energy Center's Mötley Crüe concert. Others found Journey on the jukebox, locked lips to Iron & Wine or serenaded a sweetie with a Neil Diamond karaoke tune. >More

Andrew Harrison, guitarist for Madison acts Whitney Mann and Brown Derby, has been snatched up by one of Chicago's fastest-rising stars, singer-songwriter Joe Pug, for a five-week tour that includes more than 20 gigs supporting Justin Townes Earle. >More